Light Fingers

As the Christmas shopping season reaches a climax this week, retailers
will be totting up more than sales. Gone from their shelves will also
be millions of dollars' worth of goods that no one paid for. The total
amount of shoplifting this year could go as high as $8 billion. Says
Gary Rejebian, spokesman for the Illinois Retail Merchants Association:
"Shoplifting causes the greatest losses for a retailer."

Stores are paying more attention than ever to light-fingered crime.
Spending for antitheft devices has gone up about 18% in the past year.
The most popular anti-crime item is a plastic...